The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1887-06-24
BATTLE FLAGS.
Grand Army Posts Excited Over q
Recent Order.

Grand Army Posts Excited Over q
Recent Order.
General Fairchlld vehementiy Denoance>
the Return OF the Standards tn south.
era states-A Legal Injunction
Threatened.
NEW York. June l6-"May God palsy
the hand that wrote the order. Nav God
palsy the brain that conceived it, and may
God palsy the tongue that dictated it." g.
A. r. veterans heard these words with
bated breath and glanced at each other
with awe as the terrible sentences rang out
from the commander-in-chiefo Of the q. A.
H. last night in Association Hall in Harlem.
The occasion was q reception rendered to
the commander-in-chief b. Alexander
Hamilton post Isl, u. A. r Visitors were
present from every Grand Army
post of this city and vicinity. Post
Commander A. NJ. Underhill pre-
sided. Among those present were
Senior Vice Department Commander Laf-
ferty. Junior Vice Commander Charles
Hall Grant. Past State Commander Hedges,
of Haverstraw, and Corporal Tanner. Be
fore the meeting adjourned it became
known that General Ross. of Austin. Tex.
! had received a letter from the Adiutaut-
| General Of the United States army stating
that the President had approved the recon-
| incubation and the writer had been ~
structed BIZ the Secretary of War to return
| all the Confederate flags in the care of the
| War Department to the Southern States
| from whose regiment the flags had been
captured in the war of the rebellion.
| General Fairchild entered the hall with
! stern set features. Hardly waiting for the
the usual courtesies he burst forth with
! the expressions recorded. He told of the
news received by telegraph that the Presi-
| dent had approved of the return of the
..rebel'' flags which the veterans had placed
| in the care of the War Department. They
| were intended, he said, to be kept in the
archives of the Nation as mem .ntoes Of
hard won fields of battle. The speaker
I continued: How can the present loyal
Governors of the Southern States accept
/ the emblems of treason after their profess
/ sions of loyalty to the Union, Must they
1 not return them to the Secretary aud say
/ that they have nothing TO do with the
/ flags. as the rebel organizations are extinct
( and their Governors are dead.
| General FaIrchiid said that he had fire.
! Guently listened to sentiments which had
I caused him to bite his tongue in the effort
| to maintain self-ccntroL 4 few months
past he had visited q. A. r. posts in every
State in the North. East and West He
! had never at any post meeting heard any
| thing but kindly feelings expressed toward
the men who had looked into the gun-bar-
| 81 I,,ri he
As commander-in-chief he had tried TO en-
courage this kindly feeling. Now this was
changed. The time had come TO speak in
the name of the organization. Raising bis
only hand he said: Il appeal to the senti-
ment of the nation to forbid this sacrilege.' y
There was moments silence. Then a
wild hurrah went up and was repeated and
continued. Then came loud calls for Corpo
| raj Tanner. He made violent speech in
| which. speaking of the proposed trip
| of Cleveland to st. Louis that had been dis
| cussed by veterans, he said that he had al
vised the Western veterans TO treat the
! President with respect due him. but now
had come an order for which nothing could
come but condemnation. These remarks
were received with shouts and cheers.
| Then Edmund kennick. late Inspector
General of the Department of New YORK.
under General Sickies. leaped to the plat
form and offered the following resolutions
WHEREAS. The President OF the United
States having approved the recommendations
| that all the battle flags in the custody OF the
| War Department belonging 10 the Southern
States in rebellion during the late civil war be
| returned to the respective States which bort
| them for such final disposition as they may dc
| termine. be it
Resoirsd That this post views with surprise
| the action of the President and records its pro
| test thereto: and
Pss0Irtd. That the sacrifice OF blood which the
captured emblen,s represent was sacrifice u
, liberty. national union ana TO God: and.
| Hes0lraf. That no sentiment Of generosity
| ard no expression of magnanimi:y is involved
| in the surrender Of these covenants Of nationa
| honor: and.
| Reserr.d That il now only remains TO direct
| that the battle flags Of the Union he distrit
! uted among the representatives Of the so
I called Confederacy as fitting Acknowledgment
| Of the righteousness of the lost Cause and.
| Hssolred. That this post expresses its disap
| probation of this act OF the first President VI
| the United States who has held Office disasso
| ciated from the memories of the war for thu
| Union.
The resolutions were carried with q
shout Arrangements will be made &c
have q mass meeting of veterans next
week to protest against the action Of the
| President.
| FORAKER's PROTEST.
CoLuMBUs. O., June 16.-Goveruor Fora
ker yesterday received a telegram from ID
c. Putnam. of Springfield. Department
Commander of the &. A. p of Ohio, urging
him 81 behalf of the thirty-seveu posts OF
| this department to protest to the auihor
ties at Washington against the return OF
the rebel flags captured by the soldiers
Of OHIO The Governor forwarded
the telegram to President Cleve
land, and in the same connec
ton said: I'm transmitting this message
desire to comply with its request and dc
most earnestly protest against the action
to which it relates. The patriotic people OF
this State are shocked and indignant be-
yond any thing can express. l earnestly
reQues: you to revoke the order that has
given such unqualified offenSe." The Gov
ernor also sent telegram to General Boutiu
at Washington asking him to take legal ad
vice and institute proceedings to enjoin the
return Of the rebel flags which W ere cap
tured by Ohio troops.
FUTILE AND LARABEE.
DEs MONIES. Iowa. June l6.-General
futile, commander Of the G. A. X. for
Iowa. Yesterday asked Governor Larabee
to protest to President Cleveland agains,
any rebel flags captured by Iowa troops be
| ing surrendered to the South aud to take
legal steps to enioin any such surrender if
it is contemplated. Governor Larabee has
telegraphed the President an emphatic pro
test and will take legal steps if necessary
to make the protest effective.